Best Friends?
by Insomniac Jen
Summary: This story was previously posted, but I deleted it and made some changes thanks to reviewers. I appreciate all that reviewed and helped me. This story is still based on Jane and Maura's relationship. I hope you like it. I do not own R & I.
1. Chapter 1

**Best Friends?**

Jane was at the precinct coffee kiosk busy dumping multiple sugar packets into her coffee.

"Stanley, when are you going to get real coffee in here? This shit tastes like you recycled the grounds 5 times already this morning." Jane grumbled over her shoulder toward the bald man at the counter.

"Keep it up, Rizzoli and I will ban you outright from coming in here. I will tell the captain I fear for my safety when you're around and demand that he keep you out of here. How would you like walking 3 blocks for your fix then, huh, Rizzoli?" Stanley just grinned because he knew he was pushing Jane's buttons.

"What! You can't ban me from here! It is in the police station. I belong here more than you do, you jerk!" Jane huffed and stalked upstairs. As she got to her desk her cell phone rang, and she banged her knee and spilled her coffee while trying to answer it.

"Well this is fucking fabulous! Dammit." On the third ring Jane managed to answer the phone. "Rizzoli" she barked.

"Well aren't you in a good mood this morning." Maura stated with cheer in her voice. "What happened, did Frost get the last chocolate donut again?"

"Ha, ha, no, Maura. I am forced to drink that swill Stanley calls coffee and just when I got it to a point that I could somewhat stomach, I dumped it all over myself and my desk. Today isn't starting off well." Jane sighed into the phone.

"Well I tell you what, I am going to be a little late this morning so I will swing by Café Denoche and pick up the breakfast blend you like so much and one of those cheesy croissants you love, will that make you happy?" Maura asked merrily.

"It's a start." Jane smiled. "Hey, wait, why are you going to be late?" Don't tell me the anally punctual Dr. Isles overslept?" Jane laughed.

Maura did not want to talk about the reason she was late. If she did she would remember every detail all over again and it would be hard for her to leave the house. She still could not believe that Ian had showed up last night out of the blue. Well, wait, yes she could because that was his nature. She never knew when he would blow into town. She just took advantage of the times she did see him. She closed her eyes and smiled with the memory of making love to him until the wee hours of the morning. When the alarm went off she had every intention of getting up and getting ready for work, but then she saw the glint in Ian's eye and knew she had to have him once again. She wasn't ready to talk about these raw feelings, not even with Jane.

"I did not oversleep. I got busy with something and lost track of time. I will be in shortly." Maura said in a rush before hanging up the phone.

Jane heard the click before she could even say another word.

"Well that was weird." Jane stated to no one in particular.

"What was weird?" Frost piped in from his desk.

"Maura, she is going to be late and when I asked her why she was evasive." Jane stood up as she responded.

"Ah, she probably overslept or decided to take some time for herself is all. Ask her when she gets here. Oh, and by the way you have a stain forming on your pant leg. It looks like you had an accident." Frost began to laugh.

"Shit!" Jane screamed out when she saw the large wet coffee stain on her slacks. "I'll be right back." She headed to the women's locker room. She always kept a change of clothes in there. Just as she approached the door she heard a horrible sound.

"Janie, hey Janie."

Jane closed her eyes and cursed under her breath. "Could this day get any better?" Jane's mother was rushing toward her with a brown shack that had a label smack in the middle that read "Jane Rizzoli's Lunch." "Hi, Ma. I'm a little busy, what do you need." Jane glanced at her mother with an irritated scowl.

"I brought you some lunch, oh no what happened to your pants, you didn't wet yourself did…"

"No, Ma, no. Geez, what is wrong with you?" Jane interrupted her mother and pulled her into the locker room with her.

"Sorry, it just looks like that, Janie." Angela gave her a sweet smile.

"I spilled coffee, Ma." Jane snapped as she finished the combination on her lock and pulled it open. She pulled open the locker door and was relieved to see she did indeed have a pair of slacks in there. Unfortunately they were navy blue and would not match her suit jacket or shoes very well. But she had little choice.

"So, did Maura tell you about her hunk yet? Angela asked while chewing on a granola bar.

Jane looked confused. "What? What are you talking about, Ma. I haven't seen Maura yet. She is going to be late this morning." Jane explained while pulling on the dry slacks.

"Ha, ha, I bet she is! I'm surprised she is able to come in at all." Angela laughed. "I could hear them you know a couple times during the night, and let me just say Dr. Isles is very, very vocal. She must have screamed the name Ian half a dozen times."Angela whispered the last part.

"Ma, ew! Don't tell me that. What is wrong with you?" Jane whispered back.

"I'm just saying she is very passionate in her love making is all." Angela stated and took another bite of her bar.

Jane looked confused and felt jealous. Why wouldn't Maura tell her she met a guy? She had the perfect opportunity to say something about it earlier on the phone? Maybe she wanted to wait and talk to her best friend about it in person. That had to be it. Jane finished dressing and shut the locker.

"Oh, Jane those slacks do not match that blazer or your shoes. I thought I taught you better." Angela stated while glancing up and down Jane.

"Yeah, yeah, Ma. I don't give a damn. They are functional. Now if you excuse me I have to work." Jane picked up her soiled pants threw them in a bag and headed out the locker room. She was standing at the elevator when she heard the familiar clip clop sound of heels on hard tile. She turned and saw Maura. "Damn, how can she always look so beautiful?" Jane wondered to herself. Maura approached wearing an amber silk blouse that highlighted her hazel eyes and black pencil skirt with 3 inch heels. She was carrying two coffees and a bag of pastries and had a huge smile for Jane.

"Hi, Jane. Here's your coffee, just the way you like it, walk away strong and sweet." Maura handed over the hot brew. "Oh and here is your snack." I hope it helps you be a little less fussy." Maura grinned. She then noticed Jane's outfit and her smile turned to a frown. "Jane, did you get dressed in the dark today?" Although I'm not fond of your lack of color in your wardrobe, you normally at least mix the proper fall colors together." Maura's scowl deepened the more she looked.

"Yes, I know my outfit is horrible. Thank you, Maura, or should I say, Ma junior! It's all I had after I spilled my coffee. It will have to work for the day." Jane responded while snatching off a piece of her croissant. She was feeling testy and itching to know about the guy. "So, who is Ian?" Jane said between chews trying to keep her curiosity in check.

"What?" Maura looked surprised and nearly choked on her sip of coffee. "How do you know about Ian?"

Jane took another bite and stated "Ma said she heard you screwing someone name Ian all night, so who is this guy?" Jane asked innocently while wiping crumbs off her shirt.

"Oh, no, oh no! Your mother heard us?" Maura winced and pulled Jane toward a quiet corner to avoid eavesdroppers. "I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe she heard us. I will have to apologize to her at once." Maura said nervously.

"Take it easy, Maura. It's no big deal and from how Ma tells it, it seemed like you had a great time." Jane smiled, but deep down her stomach was doing flip flops with jealousy.

Maura looked mortified. So are you going to tell me about him?" Jane asked again pointedly.

"There is nothing to tell. We are old friends. That's it. I better get to work. I'm already late enough." Maura abruptly ended their conversation and walked away leaving Jane standing there wondering what just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

BEST FRIENDS: CHAPTER 2

Jane was bored doing paperwork and her stomach was beginning to rumble. She glanced up at the clock and noticed it was quarter to noon, lunchtime in her book. She grabbed her labeled brown bag and headed to the morgue. She was hoping to get more information from Maura about her newest conquest. She didn't see Maura working on anyone in the main room, so she headed toward her office. She stopped short of going in when she overheard Maura talking.

"Really, and what else would you do?" Maura said into the phone in a teasing tone. She then giggled and Jane rolled her eyes and pushed the door to make Maura aware she was there for lunch. Maura appeared startled and held up a finger to tell Jane to hang on a second. She then changed her demeanor entirely toward the person on the phone.

"Well, thank you for calling, it was wonderful talking with you. I will research your question and get back to you. Yes, a colleague is here, so I must let you go. Okay, have a nice day. Goodbye." Maura pulled the phone away and smiled up at Jane.

"Hi, Jane. Is it time for lunch already?" Maura asked after noticing the bag in Jane's hand. Jane stared at her dumfounded.

"Yeah, I came down here to see if you wanted to join me. So, who was that you were talking to and what question are you researching that you couldn't talk about in front of me, your colleague." Jane asked while nodding her head toward Maura's cell phone and giving air quotes to accentuate the word colleague.

"Oh it's not important. Yes, I would like to go to lunch now. I'm famished. That croissant didn't fill me up for long. Let me grab my lunch." Maura walked past Jane, avoiding eye contact, toward the other room and pulled a similar brown bag from the refrigerator. Jane noticed a label on Maura's lunch as well.

"Ah, geez, Ma is out of control! I'm sorry Maura. You need to take her label maker away." Jane yelled. She was trying to lighten the mood by complaining about her mother. She didn't want to show Maura's lack of sharing hurt her. "I tell you that woman needs to be locked up and watched."

"Oh, stop. I think it's thoughtful. Besides, it gives her something to focus on. Would you rather have her calling you instead, because if so I can let her know you have been concerned?" Maura gave a mischievous grin and took a bite of an apple.

"Don't you dare, Maura." Jane laughed. I can handle the labels, Ma, 24/7, I cannot. You keep her away from me." Jane added as she parked herself on the morgue counter directly across from Maura. "Oh, I meant to tell you, I got the line up of movies already picked out for Friday. It will be a slasher film fest. First, we will start with Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then we will move on to Halloweenor , Friday the 13th, your choice and wrap the night up with Nightmare on Elm Street. You will love them. You can analyze the slashing techniques and critique them." Jane laughed and shoved three chips in her mouth.

Maura looked distracted. "I'm sorry, Jane. I am going to have to cancel our Friday movie night. I need to take care of something else."

"Oh, does that something else have anything to do with your latest conquest, Ian?" Jane asked angrily.

"Jane, don't be angry. I will make it up to you." Maura scolded in a light tone.

"I'm not mad, I'm great, just great. Why should I be mad? I mean you have a right to do whatever you want. If you want to fuck Ian's brains out on Friday, that's great, just tell me." Jane was packing up the rest of her lunch and got up to leave. Her temper was getting the better of her.

"Jane, language." Maura stated out of habit. "Please understand, this is personal." Maura gave Jane a pleading look.

Jane looked up with hurt in her eyes. I understand perfectly. You don't want to share personal information with a colleague." Jane grabbed her lunch off the table and stomped toward the door. "Enjoy your lunch!" she yelled on her way out of the morgue.

"Jane, Jane, please come back!" Maura yelled at her friend. She heard her punch the elevator button hard and heard her scream at someone to get out of her way.

"Dammit," Maura said to herself. "I need to fix this. I can't have Jane angry with me over Ian."

Maura left her lunch at the table and headed toward the elevator. She was stopped by her assistant, Cameron, before she could make it on the elevator.

"Dr. Isles, the toxicology reports for Ms. Yun are back. Cause of death is what you expected, ingestion of too many barbiturates. I just need you to sign off on the paperwork and I can have her moved to the mortuary." Cameron handed Maura a stack of paper and a pen.

Maura was irritated that she was stopped, but had to do her job first and foremost. She took the necessary 15 minutes to complete Ms. Yun's transfer paperwork and then made a beeline to Jane's desk, but didn't see her. She looked around the bullpen and saw Korsak coming through.

"Hi, Vince. Have you seen Jane?" Maura asked worriedly.

"Yeah, she just left with her tennis shoes. You know what that means. She is going to run off some steam. I asked her what was wrong and she told me to piss off, oops sorry doc. I figured I would let her be. Did you two have another fight?"

"No, well yes maybe. I have to find her and explain. Do you know what direction she went?" Maura asked patiently.

"It looked like she was headed toward the park. She only left a few minutes ago, so you should be able to catch her, well if you change those shoes that is." Korsak chuckled while looking at Maura's heels.

"Thanks, Vince." Maura ran off toward the elevator again. She hurried her way out of the building toward the park as soon as the elevator opened on ground floor. The sun was bright today, and she left her sunglasses upstairs, so it took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the glaring light. She glanced in every direction once she reached the street crossing for the park and didn't see Jane anywhere. Just when she was about to give up and head back to the precinct she spotted Jane running along the east side of the park, near the softball field.

Jane had her back to Maura, so she didn't see her coming. She had stripped off her suit in favor of a Boston PD t-shirt and a pair of old gray sweat pants she kept in her locker. Maura was practically on top of her before she noticed her.

"Jane, we need to talk." Maura stated firmly grabbing Jane's shoulder pulling her around to face her.

"There's nothing to talk about, Maura. Now if you excuse me I need to finish my run." Jane responded haughtly and trotted off toward the walkers trail.

"Jane, Jane, I won't let you ignore me. Wait, please." Maura screamed while trying to keep up with Jane's pace in heels. "Please, Jane. Ouch." Maura twisted her ankle and fell while trying to run through the grass to cut Jane off. Jane turned and saw Maura on the ground and rushed toward her.

"Maura, are you okay?" Jane forgot her anger and immediately ran toward Maura. There was genuine concern in Jane's eyes as she reached for Maura's leg.

"I will be fine. I shouldn't have tried to run in my Jimmy Choo's is all. At least it got your attention." Maura gave Jane a slight smile as the other woman helped her up. Maura held onto Jane's shoulder as Jane pulled her up. Maura noticed how Jane picked her up with ease. She definitely was a strong woman. Maura glanced up Jane's body and appreciated her musculature. Their eyes connected for a moment and Maura felt a strong attraction. She had had fleeting moments of attraction for Jane before, but always pushed them aside and tried to ignore them. Jane was her best friend and she would do nothing to jeopardize that. That is why she needed to explain about Ian.

Jane took Maura over to the nearest bench and sat her down. "Do you want me to get some ice?" Jane asked.

"No, I'll be fine. I will ice it later" Maura grabbed Jane's hands. "I want you to sit with me, so I can explain about Ian."

"Maura, you don't have to explain. I get it, really. Jane stated with a sigh and looked away.

Maura tilted her head to the side and examined Jane's face. She thought she saw hurt in Jane's eyes right before Jane turned away from her. "Do you, really?" Maura asked quietly while tightening her grip on Jane's hands. "It's just that I haven't seen him in a really, really long time. We first met about 10 years ago through the Doctors Without Borders Program. We were both assigned to Ethiopia. The tragedy there was heartbreaking. People were dying every day of maladies that are easily remedied. Ian was my superman. It was then that I fell in love with him."Maura looked off in the distance and smiled.

The words felt like knives carving into Jane's heart."Yes, Maura I do understand. You miss him and want to catch up." Jane felt like an ass for how she behaved earlier. We can catch up anytime. Let's get back to work before we get docked." Jane wanted to get away from this conversation before she burst into tears. She grabbed onto Maura hips to help steady her when Maura stood up on her bad ankle. Jane felt a spark shoot through her the instant she grasped those hip bones. She tried to shake it off, but she knew deep down she desired her friend. She would never act on that desire though because Maura was the best thing that ever happened to her and she would never purposely ruin their friendship. So, she would ignore those feelings and hopefully, eventually they would fade. Besides, her friend was in love with someone else.

Maura didn't have any autopsies that day, so she was able to rest her ankle while she caught up on paperwork. By the end of the day her ankle was only a little stiff. She picked up her coat and purse and closed her office and headed upstairs to say goodnight to Jane. She walked into the bullpen and saw Jane scrunched over a pile of files on her desk.

"You're squinting again." Maura said as she walked toward her friend and placed her hand on Jane's back.

"I am not. I'm just trying to decipher this chicken scratch from Korsak. It's illegible. Look?" Jane shoved the file toward Maura to prove her point and stretched to cause Maura to move her hand. The feeling of Maura's warm hand between her shoulder blades was causing those feelings of desire to spark up again.

"It clearly says, "the victim sustained a gunshot wound to the upper right quadrant of the torso and lacerations along the neck and face." Maura smugly smiled and closed the file leaving Jane dumbstruck.

"Well, that's not fair. You're a doctor and everyone knows all doctor's handwriting is crap, so of course you can read other crappy handwriting." Jane justified and pushed her chair away from the desk.

"Whatever you say, my friend. However, you may consider getting your eyes checked. It may be time for glasses. I just came up to say goodnight." Maura gave Jane a tired smile.

"Oh it's that time already? Well wait, let me walk you out. I need to make sure you make it to your car on that bum ankle. It is my fault you twisted it after all." Jane stood and put on her coat.

"You don't need to do that, Jane. It doesn't look like you're leaving yet." Maura countered.

"Don't be silly. It's my pleasure. Plus, it will make me feel better." Jane smiled.

"Okay then, come on, escort." Maura laughed and looped her arm through Jane's. Jane got that sparky feeling again and did her best to ignore her. She knew she must have a goofy grin on her face, but she just didn't care. She saw Maura out to her car and waved goodbye as she drove away.

"Damn, Rizzoli. Get a hold of yourself. She will never be into you. She is your best friend, that's it!" She told herself and headed back upstairs to do some work. She figured she would work until she was dog tired. That should help her keep her mind off Maura beingwith Ian.

Maura arrived home 20 minutes after leaving the office. She smelled wonderful scents drifting through her house. She headed straight toward the kitchen surprised to find Ian there cooking dinner.

"Voila, my lady. I made you dinner." Ian walked up to Maura and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I see that. It smells wonderful. Just give me two minutes to change and I will be ready to taste what I'm sure is a culinary masterpiece." Maura laughed.

Maura was standing in her closet in her bra and panties, hanging up her dress, when she heard Ian behind her. He bowed down and kissed the left side of her neck causing Maura to arch it further back.

"Aahh, Ian, that feels wonderful, but what about dinner?" Maura turned to face him.

Ian clasped onto Maura's hip bones and pulled her toward him. "Dinner will hold, my dear." Then he leaned down and kissed her. His strong hands pulling her closer into his body reminded Maura of Jane's firm grasp on her hips earlier in the day. The thought of that turned her on and she deepened the kiss with Ian. He steered them toward her bed and pushed her back until her legs hit the mattress and she fell backwards. He followed her down, continuing their kiss. He was on top of her now so she could feel his hardness through his slacks and knew he was ready. He reached down between them to remove what Maura thought were his pants, but was instead her panties. Her pulled them off with a hard tug and once again held a firm grasp on her now naked hip bones. Thoughts of Jane were coming back. She tried to will them away. She wished Ian would just remove his pants and enter her, so she would have another distraction, but he didn't. Instead he pulled her hips toward his face and sank his tongue between her slit. Slowly he allowed the tip of his tongue to swirl around her clit, building her up for her release. She closed her eyes and imagined it was her dark-haired best friend between her legs. "Wait", her mind screamed at her. "What was she doing! She was with a charming, sexy man! The man she told herself for years she was in love with. She shouldn't be thinking about Jane in a moment like this." However, she couldn't stop. When Ian inserted his fingers into her, all she saw in her mind were Jane's long delicate fingers curling into her, stroking her with each thrust. She reached down to push Ian's face deeper into her core, and she could have sworn she heard Jane's raspy chuckle. That was what did her in. Her orgasm came in a rush that caused her to scream. After the muscle spasms, Ian rolled off of her feeling damn good about the look of satisfaction on Maura's face. Maura felt guilty because she knew he wasn't the true cause of that satisfaction. Thinking about and wanting her best friend between her legs was.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: BEST FRIENDS

Maura stayed up late again making love to Ian. She was desperately trying to prove to herself that she craved this man as much as she did the first day they met. Obviously thinking about Jane was just some transference of feelings since they were so close. That had to be it, she told herself. She was slow getting out of bed the next morning and hit the snooze button on her alarm twice before finally forcing herself out of bed. She hurriedly picked out an outfit and coordinating shoes and headed to the bathroom to take a fast shower. Once she showered she put on her robe and headed downstairs. She spotted Ian in the kitchen at the stove.

"Ian, you didn't need to make breakfast!" Maura said with a shocking smile. "I normally pick up something on the way in."

"Nonsense, I figured I owed you a meal since we didn't get around to enjoying dinner last night." He looked at her and wiggled his eyebrows.

Maura laughed at that action. "You are so sweet." She walked up to him and put her arms around his neck prompting him to bend his 6'4" frame down to kiss her. Their kiss was almost immediately interrupted by a banging noise coming from the front door. Maura turned to see Angela walking through the front door carrying a load of boxes.

"Good morning." Angela yelled out behind the boxes. She set her packages down and then was able to have a clear view of the kitchen. "Oh, hello." Angela added with a curious look when she noticed Ian. She glanced from Maura to the attractive man next to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Angela this is Ian. Ian this is Angela. She is Jane's mother and she is staying in my guest house." Maura jumped in to make the introductions.

"Oh, well hello, Angela. It is wonderful to meet you. Maura has talked quite fondly of your daughter. I can't wait to meet her." Ian smiled while taking Angela's hand and cupping it between his two.

"Well the pleasure is mine indeed. It's not often I get to meet such a charming man such as you, Ian." Angela flirted.

Maura felt awkward standing in her robe and being caught by Angela kissing Ian in her own kitchen. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she felt guilty in a way.

"Maura, we should have Jane to dinner so I can meet her." Ian stated off the cuff.

"That's a wonderful idea, Ian! My Janie would love that." Angela popped in.

"Oh, I don't know. You haven't been here long. We are just getting to know each other again, and Jane is very busy." Maura added nervously.

"Oh, bollux, my dear. What's better than having people you love around you." Ian kissed the tip of Maura's nose. "I will do the cooking. Let's plan it for this Friday night, and of course Angela you must come as well."

"That sounds wonderful! I'll be here." Angela smiled.

"Well it sounds like it is all planned then. I will talk to Jane." Maura said with a forced smile. "I better get ready for work now, I can't be late again."

"Oh, Maura can I ride with you. My car is back in the shop and my daughter isn't answering her phone. I know Stanley will have a coronary if I'm late." Angela asked with pleading eyes.

"It is quite improbable Mr. Grant will have a cardiac malfarction just from you being a few minutes late, well unless he has a history of such attacks, I suppose." Maura seemed to be going off on a tangent and caught the pleading look in Angela's eye and stopped herself. Sure, Angela, no problem. Give just a few minutes to get dressed and fix my make up."

"Thank you, dearie. No rush at all I will just stay here and keep Ian company." Angela looked up at Ian with a sweet smile.

"I'll hurry." Maura said to Ian with a nervous look.

"Well if the daughter is anything like her mother, I'm going to love her." Ian added as Maura walked past him.

Both ladiesarrived at work on time and Angela headed straight to the café. She saw Jane standing at the coffee cart with Korsak and Frost and marched toward her.

"Hey big shot, can't you answer your mother's calls? What if I was stranded on the side of the road?" Angela barked with her hands on her hips in front of Jane. Korsak and Frost did not want to be in the middle of Angela's wrath so each mumbled an excuse and backed away from the two women.

"Ma, obviously you aren't stranded on the side of a road if you are standing in front of me screaming!" Jane barked right back. "Besides, I had no idea you called me." Jane finished and took a sip of coffee causing her to grimace. "God, this shit is bad."

"Watch your language, young lady." Angela spat while smacking Jane on the arm.

"Ouch, hey! What did you want anyway?" Jane glared at her mother.

"My car died again and I needed a ride to work. It is a good thing I live with Maura and she was so kind to give me a ride this morning since my own daughter didn't bother to pick up the phone." Angela was adding it on thick.

"Give it a rest already Ma, I'm sorry, okay?" Jane sighed.

"You know, Janie, you are lucky to have such a good friend as Maura. You could learn a few things from her you know." Angela tapped Jane's arm again.

"Yeah, yeah, Ma. I'm lucky. Jane rolled her eyes and started out of the café.

"Geez, you and your smart mouth! It is a wonder Maura puts up with you. That girl is a saint I tell you, a saint! Oh, and she has great taste in the fellas. I got to meet her man, Ian, this morning and let me just say he is simply dreamy." Angela gushed.

"Wait, what? You got to meet him?" Jane looked angry.

"Yeah, he was cooking Maura breakfast, which how cute is that, when I walked in on them smooching in the kitchen." Angela gave Jane an innocent look.

"Great, Ma! Do you ever think about lying low at Maura's? Maybe she doesn't want to bump into you all over her house. It's bad enough you already heard her having sex. How disturbingly awkward is that! Jane whispered harshly at her mother while furiously stirring her coffee. She was pissed that her mother, Mrs. Buttinski, knew more about the man Maura was involved with than she did.

"No, if I was annoying Maura she would tell me. She is a direct person in that way. In fact, I was invited to dinner on Friday night, Miss Smarty Pants!" Angela added with a raised eyebrow.

Jane stopped stirring her coffee and glared at her mother.

"Well, don't worry, you are invited too, in fact, Ian suggested it so he could meet you, but I was extended an invitation." Angela crossed her arms and smiled.

"Why does he want to meet me?" Jane wondered aloud.

"Well he said Maura talks quite fondly of you so he can't wait to meet you for himself. Maybe he just wants to check out the competition you know?" Angela stated innocently.

Jane looked panicked. "What? Competition? What are you talking about, Ma?" Jane asked in a rush.

"You know, he wants to meet her best friend. The person he has to compete with for Maura's attention is all I meant." Angela looked confused.

"Oh, yeah that's probably it." Jane calmed down significantly. "I got to get upstairs. Meet me here at 5 and I will give you a ride home." Jane says to her mother.

"Okay, sweetie, talk to you later." Angela kisses Jane's check and heads to the coffee creamers to refill them.

Jane starts thinking as she goes upstairs. She doesn't want to go to dinner. She doesn't want to meet Mr. Perfect, the guy that Maura so obviously adores. It will hurt too much. However, she can't not meet him. She needs to know that he is a good enough guy for her Maura. Dammit. She knew she would be stuck going.

Jane was busy with paperwork all morning, so didn't see Maura until lunch time.

"Hey, Maur, how's your day going?" Jane asks as she walked into the morgue.

"Very productive so far. How about yours?" Maura asks with a smile.

"Ah, I've been busy with paperwork, that's pretty much it." Jane added.

The room went silent. Jane was waiting for Maura to bring up the dinner her mother told her about. Maura didn't look like she was about to broach that topic anytime soon, so Jane started.

"So, ma said you gave her a ride this morning? Thanks for that." Jane smiles nervously.

"It was no problem since we live and work at the same place." Maura smiles right back.

"Um, well thanks, anyway. She also said something about dinner Friday night? Jane added.

"Oh, yes. Would you like to come to dinner Friday? I understand if you already have other plans being I canceled on our movie night." Maura asked as if it was no big deal.

Jane finds the nonchalant attitude Maura has about her attending the dinner strange since Angela stated it was planned for Ian and Jane to meet one another. Jane started to wonder if maybe Maura was ashamed of her. It hurt Jane's feelings to think that. Little did she know Maura had her own motives for not wanting Jane to meet Ian. Her relationship with Jane was hers alone. She guarded it and didn't want to share that bond with others. She knew that would appear strange to most though, so she never voiced that. Although secretly she was hoping Jane was busy already.

Jane looked at Maura for a few seconds before answering. She thought she saw anxiety in her eyes. "No, I'm not busy. What time?"

"Can you be there by 7:00 pm?" Maura hid her shock that Jane would attend and went into autopilot host mode.

"Yeah, that will work. I have to go find Frost and get an updated on the Hernadez case witness interview he did this morning. I will catch you later." Jane swaggered away and Maura felt the seed of attraction begin to grow again. All at once the image of Jane pulling hard on her hips flooded her mind again. She turned around and didn't watch Jane walk the rest of the way out of the morgue.

The two women didn't see much of one another the rest of the work week. The end of the Friday work day arrived faster than Jane would have liked it. She felt grumpy, but knew she needed to go to Maura's dinner. She left work on time and got to her apartment in time to change. Her cell phone rang when she walked through the door. She glanced at the caller id and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Ma?" Jane asked into the phone.

"Hey, Janie. What time are you coming over?"

"Maura said it starts at 7, so I'll be there then." Jane responded.

"Well, wear something nice. How about that cute little black dress you have?" Angela's voice got excited?

"Really, Ma? I was just going to change my shirt because of the ketchup stain from work. Why do I need to get dressed up?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"Janie, Maura and Ian are classy people. You should look presentable at a dinner party. Please. What could it hurt?" Angela begged.

"Fine, Ma. I'll be there shortly." Jane didn't want to embarrass Maura, so she would dress appropriately.

An hour later Jane was ringing Maura's doorbell. Maura heard the bell and headed to answer the door. She pulled it open expecting to see Jane in her usual attire, a functional suit with boots. But was she surprised. There on the other side of the door Jane stood looking stunning in her black dress and matching heels. She even wore her hair up and carried a clutch. Maura was stunned. She just stood there for what felt like a minute with her mouth agape starring at her friend. Jane was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Umm, Maura, are you going to let me in?" Jane asked with a wonder in her eye.

Maura was shaken from her stupor. "Yes, I'm sorry, of course. Come in, Jane, please. You look…"

"Ridiculous?" Jane asked with a smile.

"No, exquisite is what I was going to say." Maura gave her a tender look. It shocked her that her friend did not know how truly beautiful she was.

"Ah, thanks, Maura. I feel like a giraffe in heels." Jane laughed just as Ian rounded the corner.

"Dammit! He is hot." Jane thought to herself.

"You must be Jane?" Ian asked while grabbing Jane's hand with an endearing smile.

"I am and you must be Ian?" Jane asked back with a forced smile.

"That I am. Just so you know I am not nearly good enough for your good Dr. Isles here." Ian said with a twinkle in his eye and a glance toward Maura. Maura playfully slapped his arm.

Jane was surprised by his comment and had to laugh. Shit. She liked the guy.

"Would you like a drink?" Ian asked.

"Sure, whatever you have is fine." Jane responded.

"Red wine?" Ian added.

"Sounds great, thank you." Jane smiled.

Ian went off to fetch Jane's drink, leaving Maura standing there with her friend. Maura was still in awe over Jane's appearance. Her best friend didn't dress up often, but when she did she was utterly gorgeous.

"Jane, you didn't have to go all out for dinner at my place." Maura smiled while moving her hands up and down to signify Jane's attire.

"Ah, Ma told me to dress nice because you and Ian have class, so I threw her a bone this time." Jane laughed. Just as she mentioned her mother she heard her voice approaching. Her mother was coming in through the side door with a man and not just any man, the new assistant district attorney.

"Oh, good. Everyone is here already." Angela beamed.

"Maura and Ian, this is Charlie Jenkins." Angela started introductions.

"And Charlie, this is my daughter Jane. Jane you and Charlie have a lot in common. Jane is a detective and Charlie prosecutes criminals. Isn't that fascinating?" Angela stated without making full eye contact with her daughter. At this point everyone in the room knew Angela was obviously trying to fix her daughter up with this man. Jane was polite to Charlie, but was shooting daggers with her eyes at her mother. Maura caught the tension and knew Jane's temper was rising. She figured she should diffuse the situation.

"Well dinner is ready, so we can all take our places if you like." Maura smiled at the crowd.

The group moved to the dining room. Maura was about to sit next to Jane when Angela yelled.

"Charlie, you come sit over here next to Jane so I can sit across from you to chat. My ears aren't so good anymore and it is easier if I see your lips." Both Jane and Maura gave Angela an incredulous look after that statement.

"Oh, okay sure." Charlie being the gentleman agreed.

Maura and Ian went to grab the dishes.

"So, Charlie likes baseball, don't you Charlie? Angela asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Isn't that great, Jane. Jane likes baseball too. Isn't that right, Jane?" Angela gave a sweet look toward Jane.

"Ma!" Jane hissed.

"What is your team?" Charlie asked.

Jane looked over at him and responded politely. "The Red Sox."

"Is there any other?" Charlie added with a smile. "I love the Sox."

"Really?" Jane was warming up to this guy.

"Oh yeah, ever since I was a kid. I loved watching them play. I don't miss watching any of their games."

"Wow, me either. I figured out Tivo just to record the games." Jane laughed. At that moment Maura walked into the room with the platter of chicken and felt a sting of jealousy when she saw how good Jane was getting along with Charlie. Her jealousy grew as the meal progressed. Jane and Charlie appeared to be involved in their own conversation reminiscing about a World Series play from the previous year. They were both laughing and Angela was sitting back with a satisfied smile.

Dinner ended swiftly with many compliments to Ian and Maura about the food.

"Thank you so much for the invitation. It isn't often I get a home cooked meal." Charlie smiled at both Maura and Ian.

"Oh, that's terrible Charlie. Do you like Italian food? My Janie makes wonderful lasagna. I should know, I taught her the recipe. Isn't that right, Janie?" Angela asked with a knowing smile.

Jane wanted to kill her mother. I mean she was making her look desperate. "Yeah, Ma. I know how to make lasagna." Jane sipped her wine and shot her mother more daggers.

"Really, well I must say, Detective, lasagna is one of my favorite meals." Charlie says to Jane in a low whisper with a wink causing her to smile. They clink glasses and both enjoy another sip of wine. Jane didn't notice the worried look on Maura's face as she sat watching the two.

For dessert Ian poured a white sweet wine to go with the fresh fruit tarts and made a toast.

"To meeting new friends." They all clinked their glasses and sipped their wine. "Now hopefully I can get Jane here to help me convince you dear Maura to return to Ethiopia with me for a season." Ian asked while looking from Jane to Maura. The gaiety of the room immediate hushed. Jane dropped her dessert fork onto her plate out of shock. Maura looks at Jane and swears she sees hurt and panic.

"What, was that Ian?" Jane asked.

Maura whispered to Ian. "No, Ian, now is not the time to discuss this." She looks back to Jane and sees her brow scrunch with concern.

"I asked Maura to go back to Ethiopia with me for a spell and she has not decided. I was hoping I could charm you over to my side. She won't be able to resist the both of us, right?" Ian asks with a wink of his eye.

Jane feels stunned. "Will you all please excuse me for a second?" Jane says with a tight smile and bolts upright to head toward the washroom. Maura follows shortly afterward.

Maura knocks lightly on the door. "Jane, are you alright?" She asks with concern.

Jane splashes water on her face to keep her tears at bay and pulls her hair out of the bun. Her hair fell around her face in wild ringlets giving her a wild look.

"Yeah, I'm fine Maura. I think I just drank too much wine and it gave me a headache." Jane says in what she tries to be a light hearted tone.

"Jane, please open the door." Maura says barely over a whisper.

Jane forces a smile on her face and pulls the door open. Maura walks in and stares at her in the mirror while Jane pretends to fuss with her tangles.

Maura cocks her head to the side and continues to stare at Jane. It is as if she is processing something. She stares at her without saying a word for a long time. Jane refuses to look at her directly. "Jane, are you upset over what Ian said about Ethiopia?" Maura asked quietly trying to catch Jane's gaze in the mirror.

"What? Of course not, Ian is great. You can tell he really adores you." Jane continues fiddling with her hair trying to compartmentalize her feelings and sound breezy.

"So, what do you think? Do you think I should go?" Maura asked with a sad look.

Jane wanted to grab Maura and hold her and scream "Fuck, no you shouldn't go! You should stay here with me." But she knew she was being selfish. So instead she said, "Well I think you should do what is best for you, Maura. I mean there is nothing holding you here? Your family lives in Europe most of the year. You could help people all over the world if you wanted to?" It was killing Jane to say this, but she wanted to be a supportive friend. She continued fiddling with her hair and avoiding Maura's gaze as if it was the most normal thing to do.

"There's you, Jane." Maura said quietly while grasping Jane's hand.

That statement almost broke Jane. "Ah, Maura, we will still be friends. Don't worry about that." Jane was starting to crumble. He hand began to shake and she pulled away quickly.

Maura felt like she wanted to cry. She felt hurt and angry that she obviously didn't mean more to Jane. "Well, thank you, Jane. You're right. There really is nothing or nobody holding me here. You helped me with my decision." Maura walked out of the wash room and Jane hurriedly closed the door just as tears spilled from her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: BEST FRIENDS?

Jane avoided Maura the rest of the weekend and the next couple days at work. Maura didn't call her though. Jane thought she was probably busy getting ready to leave in the next three weeks. That was when Ian would be returning to Ethiopia. At least that is what Jane remembers him saying before he dropped the bombshell of wanting to take Maura with him. The dinner party was just awkward after that news. Jane cleaned herself up in the wash room and feigned a headache to leave early. Charlie offered her a ride home, but she declined. He then gave her his card and told her to call him anytime. She enjoyed talking to him so she took it, and then left. No one tried to stop her and she cried the entire drive home.

Now it was Wednesday. She was sitting at her desk thinking about how much a part of her life Maura is. Jane knew she couldn't avoid Maura forever, so she took a deep breath and headed downstairs to the morgue. When she got there she didn't see Maura at the tables nor did she see her in the lab. She walked over to her office and it was dark.

"Hmm, where is she?" Jane wondered. She walked over to the lab and asked one of Maura's assistants.

"Hey, Cameron, do you know when Dr. Isles will be back?" Jane asked the lanky young man.

He looked taken aback that Jane was speaking to him. "Umm, Dr. Isles called off today and tomorrow, Detective."

"Oh. Okay, thanks." Jane gave him a puzzled look and walked out of the morgue. She headed for the precinct café to find her mother.

"Hey, Ma. Did you see Maura today? Is she sick?" Jane asked as she walked up to the woman cleaning the café counter top.

"Hi, Jane. I did see Maura this morning, but she didn't look sick, why?" Angela stopped wiping the counter and gave her daughter a confused look.

"I was just wondering since she isn't here today is all. No big deal." Jane tried to play it off.

"Oh, I didn't know she wasn't here. She never said anything to me. Maybe she had appointments. You should call her and make sure she is alright" Angela added.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I will give her a call later. I will see you later, Ma." Jane walked away and pulled out her phone to check for messages. There were none. Jane felt a little stung by the fact that Maura hadn't reached out to her. She put her phone back on her waist clip and went back upstairs to do some work. She would wait for Maura to call her.

The entire work day and evening went by along with all of Thursday and Jane had still not heard one word from Maura. She wasn't too worried because through talking with her mother she knew Maura was home and okay. She just wasn't calling Jane. "Ian is distracting her well." Jane sighed and closed her eyes as she lied in bed. She felt like she was losing part of herself. With that realization she knew her attraction for Maura wasn't just desire. She had been denying it for a long, long time, but when she was alone and couldn't hide from herself, she knew the only justified term for her feelings was love. "I'm fucked." Jane said aloud and pulled a pillow over her head and cried until she fell asleep.

Morning came sooner than Jane would have liked. She tossed and turned most of the night, so she was a bit sleep deprived. She would need extra coffee this morning to make it through the day.

She made it into the office on time and saw Maura's car in the parking lot. That sight made her smile. She missed Maura. She decided to go by the morgue first to invite Maura to lunch. She knew it was awkward, after all they hadn't talked since the dinner party and she wanted to get past the awkwardness before Maura was gone. She made a beeline to the elevator as she walked into the building and hit the down arrow. She walked into the morgue as Maura was talking to Cameron. Maura and Cameron both glanced her way when they saw her walk in, but Maura did not stop giving instruction to Cameron regarding the autopsy they were currently working on. Jane waited patiently with a thin smile until Maura was done with Cameron. Then Maura turned toward Jane.

"Hey, you're back. Where have you been?" Jane asked in a cheerful tone.

"Yes, I took a few personal days. I have been busy, Jane." Maura answered in a monotone voice. She was still feeling hurt that Jane didn't tell her to stay when she asked about Ethiopia and also the fact that she hadn't contacted her all week.

"Oh, okay. Well since we both have been so busy lately and haven't had a chance to talk I was wondering if you would like to go to lunch today?" Jane asked in a less spirited tone.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I have a lot of work to do today and a new technician is coming in this afternoon and I still need to train her." Maura answered while looking at her watch. She hardly even glanced at Jane. It hurt too much.

"Okay, maybe some other time." Jane responded and looked at Maura who was busy doing anything else, but looking at Jane. "Maura, are you okay?" Jane dropped the question.

Maura quickly glanced at Jane while going through a report and responded. "I'm fine, just very busy, Jane." Maura looked back down at the report in her hands.

That response ticked Jane off. "Well, sorry. I won't keep you then, Dr. Isles." Jane walked past Maura out of the morgue.

Maura wanted to stop Jane, but she couldn't. She didn't trust her emotional state right now and it was just best to let her go. Besides, she was angry too. The best thing she could do right now was to get some work done.

The next few days went by in a blur. The two women were not talking to one another. Jane was hurt that Maura could coolly dismiss her and Maura did not know how to deal with the pain of Jane not asking her to stay.

The rest of the office knew the two women obviously had an argument or something happened because Jane kept sending Frost down to get autopsy results on all their cases. Also, Jane was in a rotten mood.

"Hey Frost, what was the COD in the Wilson case? I don't see it in the file." Jane turned around in her chair to ask her partner.

"It hasn't been determined yet." Frost answered blankly while maneuvering the toy robot on his desk.

"What do you mean it hasn't been determined yet?" Jane hollered. That vic has been in here for over two weeks!" Jane gave him a look that said his news was outrageous. "I asked you to pull the papers from the morgue last week." Jane continued.

"Yes, I know, Jane, but when I went down to the morgue, Dr. Isles said the report was incomplete. I checked again this morning and she gave me the same news, so what do you want me to do?" Frost asked with a questioning look.

"Unfuckingbeliable!" Jane screamed while standing up. She slammed the file on her desk and headed toward the morgue.

"Uh oh" Frost said.

"You can say that again." Korsak added.

Maura was in the middle of a "Y" incision when Jane came barreling through the morgue door.

"Exactly when will we have the cause of death for David Wilson? It has been over two weeks now!" Jane yelled at Maura and positioned herself on the opposite side of the autopsy table, forcing Maura to look at her.

Maura looked shocked that Jane was so angry and yelling at her. That only lasted a second though because she didn't appreciate getting bullied in her morgue. So she got angry right back.

"Excuse me, Jane, but I'm in the middle of a procedure. If you need information about a specific report you will need to wait or come back." Maura responded in an authoritative tone.

"I have been waiting two fucking weeks, what, are you slacking since you won't be around soon or what?" Jane asked with a challenge in her eye.

Maura was up to the challenge. "I resent that you come into my work space and accuse me of not doing my job, also I do not appreciate the implication that my work ethic is variable, Detective Rizzoli!" Maura yelled back. All three assistants in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at the two women. Both women stood their ground and glared at one another for several seconds.

"You will have the Wilson report when I get the toxicology screens back. Now if you will excuse me, I have a job to do." Maura added in a clipped tone.

"Fine, Dr. Isles. But pardon my crude behavior if I add I won't hold my fucking breath." Jane turned on her heel and bolted through the door. Maura felt horrible watching her go.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5: BEST FRIENDS?

Jane felt terrible about how she left things with Maura earlier in the week. They hadn't spoken since. Jane was angry, but it wasn't really about any case. It was about her fucked up feelings. She knew she loved Maura and not only in a best friend kind of way. It was more in the, I want to throw you on the bed and fuck you all night kind of way. But, she also knew that Maura was going to be leaving soon. Jane didn't have anyone to talk to and she didn't want to be alone, so instead she sat at the Dirty Robber pounding down drinks until closing just like all the previous nights this week. She made sure she got high enough to ease her pain, but not too high where she couldn't drive. Damn, she missed Maura. If she missed her this much while she was still in town she had no idea how she was going to handle when she was on the other side of the world. "She probably will just forget about me." Jane was on her fourth shot of the night when a good looking guy came up to her.

"Hey, beautiful, can I buy you a drink?" He said in a flirty tone.

Jane was buzzed enough not to scare him away. "Sure, why not. Jameson straight." Jane smiled at him.

The man raised two fingers at the bartender to signal his order.

"My name is Dave, what's yours?" He asked.

"Jane," she responded.

The bartender placed two shots in front of them and Jane smiled and picked hers up.

"Thanks for the drink, Dave." She clinked her glass against his and downed her drink in one swallow.

"Whoa, I see I'm dealing with a skilled drinker here." Dave laughed when he saw that Jane finished her shot before he could even taste his.

"Yes indeed. Never challenge an Italian to a drinking contest." Jane added.

"You're Italian? Well hell I should have figured. I'm Italian too." Dave grinned.

"Really?" Jane's grin got bigger and she moved closer to him.

"You know, we Italians aren't only good at drinking." Dave added with all seriousness.

"Oh yeah? What else are Italians, good at, pray tell?" Jane leaned off her stool closer to him to hear his response.

"We are also excellent lovers!" Dave smile widened and Jane nearly fell the rest of the way off her stool due to laughing.

"That has to be one of the worse lines I have ever heard, Dave." Jane kept laughing as Dave gave her a sheepish look.

"Oh, come on don't I get any points?" Dave whined.

"Maybe one for having the nerve to even say that." Jane continued laughing. When she stopped she looked at him for a couple seconds and thought "why not" so, she grabbed him and started to kiss him. Dave seemed shocked at first, but got into the motion quite quickly. His hands were soon on Jane's ass and he whispered in her ear.

"Let's get out of here and go somewhere more private."

"Sure. I need some fun." Jane said while grabbing her coat off the stool. In that instant her cell phone rang.

"Shit, Now?" Jane screamed.

"Just ignore it, babe. Let's get out of here." Dave added while grabbing Jane's hand.

Jane looked frustrated and ran her hand through her hair. "I can't. I'm a cop." Jane turned her back to Dave and pressed the talk button. "Rizzoli." She listened for a few seconds.

"Rizzoli, we have a body at 30th and Main." Frost said over the phone.

"Okay, thanks Frost." Jane looked at her watch. "Give me 10 to get there." She hung up the phone and turned back around toward Dave. "Sorry, duty calls." She clicked her phone back to her belt, grabbed her jacket and started walking toward the door.

"Well can I at least get a rain check?" Dave asked sounding wounded.

Jane scoffed on her way to the door and halfway turned around, "Sure why not. I'm usually here after 6:00 pm. Maybe I'll see you around." Jane smiled and left the bar. She was true to her word to Frost and made it to the crime scene in exactly 10 minutes.

She looked around the site until she spotted her partner on the other side of the crime tape. There appeared to be a body lying in the street on the other side of the tape. Jane flashed her badge to the patrol cop and ducked under the tape. Several spectators were surrounding the sidewalks trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. Jane walked directly to Frost.

"Hey, Frost. What do we have?" Jane asked.

Frost pulled his notebook. "It appears the DB has been identified as Maria Torres. She worked at the donut shop across the street. The manager is over there near the car and he identified her already. It looks like a single gunshot wound to the chest. She still had her purse and a package on her, so I don't think robbery was a motive."

"When was she found?" Jane asked.

"About 45 minutes ago. We are waiting on the Doc before we move the body." Frost added.

"Oh, well when did you call her?" Jane asked curiously.

"About a half an hour ago, right after I called you the first time and my call went straight to voice mail." Frost answered bluntly with a sideways glance.

"Hmmm, sorry. I must not have heard it. Well I guess we wait." Jane walked toward Frost's car and leaned against it. They ended up waiting another half an hour before Maura showed up on the scene. Jane felt really annoyed and stayed leaning against the car and let Frost take the lead in cutting off Maura to talk about the findings.

Maura leaned down and started her assessment of the body. She started to feel sprinkles of rain begin to fall on her face and tried to hurry. She gave the morgue technicians instructions and she wrote some notes as they started bagging the victim. Before she could walk away Jane walked in front of her and blocked her path. It startled Maura. She looked up and saw fire in Jane's eyes.

"Couldn't you tell Mr. Fantastic to zip it up faster? We have all been waiting here for over half an hour for you!" Jane spat out at her.

Maura ignored her implication and simply said I got here as quickly as I could given the traffic.

Jane still appeared to be annoyed and was itching for an argument. "Look, Maura, I understand this job may no longer be that important to you, but I need this job. I like my job. It is the one thing I'm good at and we" Jane circled around her hands to indicate the group surrounding her "depend on you showing up to crime scenes on time. We don't appreciate freezing our asses off just so you can get laid."

Maura looked insulted. "Exactly what are you trying to say, Detective?" Maura asked coolly.

"Jane leaned in close so only Maura could hear her. "I'm saying I take my job seriously. I don't let my career decisions rest on whomever I may be fucking for the week. With your recent distractedness, I can't necessarily say the same is true for you." Jane gave Maura a challenging look and started to turn away.

Maura grabbed Jane's arm and held it in a tight grasp refusing to let her walk away. "You wait just a minute, Jane. You have no right to question my job abilities. I do my job 100% every time." Then she lowered her voice. "and how dare you bring up my personal life. In no way does it affect my work. Can you say the same? I mean really, you currently reek of alcohol and cheap cologne. Perhaps it should be your own personal life you are concerned with and not mine. " Maura gave a sad bitter laugh and Jane pulled her arm away.

Maura's words hit the target. She hurt Jane. She saw it in Jane's eyes the moment she said them.

"Go to Hell, Maura." Jane hissed and stomped away with tears welling up in her eyes.

Maura could tell the surrounding people were starring at her so she buried the hurt she was feeling and went into work mode. She signed the body release form walked it over to Frost and immediately headed to her car. She glanced around the scene one last time and saw Jane leaning against Frost's car all alone. Jane didn't see her looking at her. In that moment Maura felt deep despair. She knew she loved Jane. She knew it was true for a long time, but kept denying it. She never had a best friend before and she didn't want to lose Jane with an awkward announcement that she was in love with her. Seeing Jane now, standing in the rain all alone broke Maura's heart. She wanted to go to her, but she knew too much has been said tonight. So she just got in her car and drove away. Jane stood against Frost's car and turned when she heard Maura's car start up. She let the tears fall as she watched Maura drive away. She then got into her own car and drove home feeling miserable.

The next day Jane took a personal day off from work. She spent most of her morning in bed nursing a hangover. Then when 3 o'clock hit she headed toward the Robber. It wasn't until a little after 9 o'clock that she saw the guy she met yesterday show up.

Dave saw her immediately and smiled. "Hey, it must be my lucky night." Dave laughed.

Jane laughed at his statement. "Hey, maybe this time I can buy you a drink?" Jane asked in a drunken slur.

"Sure. I will have a rum and coke. I'm going easy tonight." Dave answered.

"Okay, no problem. Hey, Benny, another Jameson and a rum and coke for my friend here." Jane yelled across the bar.

Benny the bartender gave her a concerned look and shook his head.

Jane and Dave were three drinks in when Jane heard the distinct clip clop of heels directly behind here. She turned and was shocked to see Maura starring at her not more than 3 feet away.

"What are you doing here?" Jane asked in a quiet tone. Dave continued to lean toward Jane and just stared at the new woman.

"I'm here to make sure you get home safely. Benny called me and told me you had a lot to drink tonight." Maura said matter of factly.

Jane harrumphed, "no need, Maura. My new friend Dan here will drive me home. Isn't that right?" Jane turned to look at Dave, smiled and dropped her car keys in his hand.

"It's Dave, but sure I'm alright and can take her." Dave said directly to Maura.

"Oops, sorry, Dave." Jane started laughing hysterically.

"Sir, that is very kind of you, but I will be driving Jane home. Please give me her keys." Maura stuck her hand out and gave a look that said there was no negotiating this point.

Jane was shocked when Dave forked over the keys. He then said goodnight to her and walked away.

"Get up and get in the car, Jane. You're going home now." Maura said forcefully with a glare.

"What if I'm not ready to leave?" Jane challenged and leaned back.

"Well I guess I will have to force you to leave. Being you are inebriated and I am not I think the odds are slightly in my favor." Maura tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms in front of her fully prepared to stand off in front of Jane.

"Fine, I was ready to go anyway." Jane responded and got off her stool and pushed away from the bar. She almost tipped over trying to put her coat on, so Maura had to help her.

"Put your arm around me so you don't fall." Maura ordered. Jane complied because honestly she felt very dizzy. "Thank you, Benny. I appreciate the call." Maura said to the bartender.

"Yeah, thanks, Benny, you rat!" Jane screamed.

"Shush, you be quiet. He was looking out for you. Now let's go." Maura scolded Jane.

Maura managed to get Jane out to the car and strapped in. Lord knows it wasn't easy. Jane was fussier than a 5 year old child.

They drove in silence for 10 straight minutes.

"You didn't need to come for me. I can take care of myself." Jane said quietly breaking the silence without looking at Maura.

"Oh, really? Well you looked to be doing a bang up job of it back there?" Maura added with a glance toward Jane and an edge in her voice.

Jane didn't respond and stewed on what Maura said as they pulled into Jane's apartment complex. Maura parked fairly close to Jane's building and got out to help her upstairs.

"I got it. You don't need to see me to my door, Doctor." Jane said in a sarcastic tone as she got out of the car.

"Jane Rizzoli, I will not leave here until I get you safe in your apartment, in bed." Maura said sternly with her hand on her hips.

"The phrase made Jane groan. Only in her wildest dreams would Maura be in her bed. "Fine, shit, I don't know why you even care." Jane added stubbornly.

"What? Why wouldn't I care? You are supposed to be my best friend, Jane. What happened to us?" Maura asked with pain in her eyes and a quiver in her voice.

Jane, felt like crying. She didn't respond and grabbed onto Maura shoulder to walk upstairs. They made it through the door and over to the couch. Jane leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Maura just stared at her in silence.

Jane could feel Maura's eyes on her and opened her own to look at her.

"What do you want me to say, Maura?" Jane asked with a pained expression.

"I want you to tell me how you feel, Jane?" Maura answered.

"I don't know." Jane looked away afraid of the emotions that were starting to bubble up. She didn't want Maura to see her cry.

"Okay, how about I start then?" Maura asked quietly. Jane just nodded for her to continue.

"When I graduated medical school I wanted to save the world. Being a doctor was the only thing I ever wanted to be and I was good at it. So, when the chance to join Doctors Without Borders came along I took it without even thinking twice." Maura smiled at the memory. "The clinic I was assigned to was very rural. Only the basic medical supplies were available. I worked 16 hour days inoculating children, fixing broken bones and providing common antibiotics. It was amazing. Then another doctor was assigned to help me at the clinic. It was Ian. He walked in and I thought "God was he handsome." I never met anyone like him before. He was so sure of himself, so willing to help people. It wasn't long before I loved him." Maura smiled and Jane continued to look away. Jane's heart was breaking and she was desperately trying to hold in her sobs. "Well, our time together there in Ethiopia was magic. I felt that Ian was the love of my life. I knew my assignment would be over before his, but he promised to come visit me and that is what he has been doing for the past 10 years. He has been popping in and out of my life." Maura gave a sad smile. She then grabbed Jane's hand.

"Jane, please look at me. This is difficult for me." Maura begged.

"I understand, Maura really. Ian is the love of your life. You only get one and you need to seize the opportunity now before it is lost forever." Jane said with teary eyes and a broken voice.

Maura smiled and grabbed Jane's hand tighter. "You're right Jane. I mean about only having one love of your life. I found mine."

"I know." Jane tried to smile. "When do you leave for Ethiopia?" Jane asked with concern.

Maura looked at Jane for a long time. "I never said I was going to Ethiopia." She simply responded.

"What? I thought Ian wanted you there with him?" Jane asked confused.

"He does. But, I couldn't go with him." Maura grabbed Jane's other hand and held it.

"Jane, I was naïve 10 years ago. I did love Ian, don't get me wrong, but he is not the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I have been trying to bury my feelings, but I can't do it anymore. I know I am risking everything here, but Jane, I love you. I have loved you for a long time now. I don't see myself ever being apart from you." Maura said boldly.

Jane just sat there in shock. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Her mind was doing flip flops. It must be the alcohol. Did Maura say she was staying and that she loved her?

Maura mistook Jane's silence for rejection. She panicked because she risked her friendship with Jane. She got up quickly. "I'm sorry, Jane. I shouldn't have said that. Please just ignore what I said. I have to go." She grabbed her car keys and bolted to the door. Jane, feeling immediately sober with the news, hopped over the back of the couch in lighting speed and was at the door just as Maura reached to turn the handle. Jane stood behind her holding the door shut with the palm of her left hand.

"Jane, please just let me go." Jane heard the sobs in Maura's voice. Jane leaned her forehead down to rest between Maura's shoulder blades.

"I can't, Maura. And I don't want to ignore what you just said. I'm just in shock. I can't believe you want me." Maura could feel Jane's warm breath on her back. Her tears were subsiding. "I love you too. I tried to run from it because I didn't want to lose you and the thought of you leaving with Ian was killing me. I'm sorry I was so awful to you." Jane began to cry. Maura turned and hugged her.

"Shhhh, it's okay now, Jane. I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours forever if you'll have me." Maura gave a weak smile and pulled back to look at Jane.

"I love you so much, Maur." Jane said with a big smile and grabbed Maura's face and kissed her gently. Maura intensified the kiss until the two women had to pull back for air.

"Wow, that was amazing." Jane said when their lips parted. Maura smiled broadly and wiped the tears off of Jane's face.

"Now let's get you in bed." Maura said and tugged Jane's arm toward the bedroom.

"I'm still a little drunk, but I think I'm up for it?" Jane smiled and followed.

"Ah, no you naughty girl. There will be no sex tonight. You need to rehydrate and take some analgesics to help ward off any alcohol effects on your system. I will gladly stay the night with you though." Maura smiled.

"Fine, but I still get the right side of the bed and as long as I get to hold you I will be okay. However, tomorrow when I'm rehydrated and well rested you are mine, dear Dr. Isles." Jane laughed and kissed Maura again.

"That I will hold you to, my gorgeous Detective." Maura smiled and kissed Jane back and they walked into the bedroom and shut the door.

THE END

_AN: Hope you all liked this one._


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